Jones, Henry Arthur

Collection of material relating to the dramatist Henry Arthur Jones (1851-1929), collected by M.H.Spielmann, including: Five letters from Henry Arthur Jones to the Morning Post newspaper concerning the reconstruction of the theatre (1919); correspondence with James Stanley Little (1922-1929); correspondence between Jones and M.H.Spielmann (1919-1929); correspondence between Doris Thorne (nee Arthur Jones) and M.H.Spielmann (1929-1939); publications and proofs of works by H.A.Jones (1897-1921); press cuttings concerning miscellaneous topics connected to H.A.Jones, including reviews of books and plays and cuttings concerning his disputes with George Bernard Shaw and H.G.Wells (1887-1950).

Henry Arthur Jones (1851-1929), British dramatist, was born at Grandborough, Buckinghamshire, England. He began working for a draper at the age of twelve, and later earned his living as a commercial traveller. After attending the theatre in London, he was inspired to write one-act plays. His first play to be produced, Its Only Round the Corner , was staged at the Theatre Royal, Exeter, in 1878. His first London production, A Clerical Error , premiered the following year. The Silver King which opened at the Princess Theatre, London, in 1882, established Jones's name as a dramatist. During his long career he wrote numerous plays, among his most successful were The Middleman (1889), The Dancing Girl (1891), The Tempter (1893), The Triumph of the Philistines (1895), Michael and his Lost Angel (1896), The Liars (1897) and The Hypocrites (1906). Jones also wrote numerous books and essays on the function of theatre, such as The renaissance of the English drama, 1883-94 (1895). He died in 1929.

The collection is divided into four sections, including: Section 1: Letters to the Morning Post
Section 2: Others Letters
Section 3: Publications and Proofs
Section 4: Press Cuttings and Reviews

Access to this collection is unrestricted for the purpose of private study and personal research within the supervised environment and restrictions of the Library's Palaeography Room.

Various. Consult Series descriptions for further details. This collection is gathered together from various materials relating to Henry Arthur Jones, collected and compiled by M.H.Spielmann, held at Senate House Library, University of London.

Hard copy catalogue. This collection has been fully listed and is included in the ULRLS on-line catalogue, http://archives.ulrls.lon.ac.uk/default.aspx.

Compiled by Sarah Aitchison as part of the RSLP AIM25 Project.

The Theatre Museum, London, holds manuscripts of plays; the British Library, London, has a manuscript of The divine gift , 1912 (Ref: Add Ms 41740), correspondence with William Archer, 1889-1903 (Ref: Add Ms 45292), correspondence with Macmillans Publishers, 1891-1926 (Ref: Add Ms 55013), and correspondence with the Society of Authors (Ref: Add Ms 56733); the University of Texas at Austin, USA, contains correspondence; the Brotherton Library, Leeds University, holds letters from Sir Edmund William Gosse, 1889-1925; the University of Chicago Library, USA, has letters to William Moy Thomas, 1875-1893; Hove Central Library contains letters to Lady Louisa Wolseley, 1897-1902 (Ref: Wolseley).

Copies may be made, subject to the condition of the original. Copying must be undertaken by the Palaeography Room staff, who will need a minimum of 24 hours to process requests.